Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Batwa Trail is a community based tour product developed by the Batwa community
near Bwindi in conjunction with the Uganda Wildlife Authority and Pearls of
Uganda an NGO:-

It starts at the base of Mt Muhavura at 8.00 am and
finishes by 3-4 pm. You'll need walking shoes, hat, and raingear, and a packed
lunch with sufficient drinks.

The Batwa Trail runs across the lower slopes of the Muhavura and Gahinga
volcanoes in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The forest is home to a variety of
wildlife but the Batwa Trail is far from being a conventional nature walk. With
the help of Batwa guides, you'll see the forest as a larder, pharmacy, builder's
yard, tool kit and, above all a home. Along the trail, you'll fire a bow and
arrow, check hives for wild honey, help repair a Batwa shelter, harvest plants
for medicine and food, light a fire without a matches, listen to legends and
learn about Batwa traditions.

The highlight of the trail is a descent into the Garama cave, a 200m-long
lava tube beneath Mt. gahinga. The Batwa are famed for their music and dance and
their historic, subterranean council chamber in Garama Cave provides the setting
for an unforgettable performance.

The Batwa trail is celebration of the forest culture of the "'first people."
It is impossible, however, to ignore the fact that Batwa life has greatly
changed. The day's events conclude with a discussion about the Batwa's current
situation; how it can be improved; and progress to date towards doing so.